Earth

Those dogs chuffing down black dirtat the end of the driveway,seeming to grin with deliciousintake—I knew earth wasn’twhat it seemed. Envious, I could get downon my knees and join their feast. Tailswave, one paws the ground openfor the other.

The display ends as suddenly as itbegan. They’re off, lifted legsmarking territory. Some dogsare only human. Yet what they didthere with their teeth and mouths stayswith me through the day. I see them as I can’tsee myself, finding what they needjust under the surface—

digging for it, eagerly, letting mewonder at sufficiency,at certain insatiable hungers.Needing a few bites of earthto settle us out.

Tess Gallagher is the author of, most recently, the poetry collection “Is, Is Not,” forthcoming in 2019.